At the Truong Gia Gioi Cultural Tourism Promotion Seminar in Ho Chi Minh City, Mr. Tu Chau, Deputy Consul General of China in Ho Chi Minh City, said that from March 15, passengers on direct flights from Vietnam to China are allowed to use antigen test results (including self-test kits) instead of PCR tests to enter China. The test results must be obtained within 48 hours prior to departure to proceed with customs declaration.
Airlines will no longer check the PCR or antigen test results of passengers within 48 hours before the flight.
Previously, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs also announced that from March 15, the country will resume issuing all types of visas to foreigners, including tourist visas, port visas, and visa-free policies to certain locations in China.
This is considered a positive sign for the recovery of tourism in both countries. Prior to the pandemic, China was Vietnam’s largest international tourism market.
In 2019, there were about 4.5 million Vietnamese tourists visiting China, ranking first in the number of foreign tourists to Vietnam. In the same year, Vietnam welcomed 5.8 million Chinese tourists, accounting for nearly 30% of international visitors.
Specifically, in Ho Chi Minh City, in just the first three months of this year, about 49,000 Chinese tourists visited the city. If compared to the period before the pandemic outbreak, Chinese tourists were among the top three international tourist markets to the city with over 1.2 million visitors, according to Ms. Bui Thi Ngoc Hieu, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism.
The Deputy Consul General of China in Ho Chi Minh City expects that these policies will further promote the development of tourism cooperation between the two countries, creating a vibrant scene for people from both countries to wander around, visit relatives, and friends in the other country.